Undercover Spooks on job for London 2012 Olympic terror alert

Intelligence officers on secondment from MI5 are working on Spooks-style assignments within the Olympic Park, 'embedded' in jobs in the run-up to London 2012, reveals a security consultant with experience of major event planning and management.

Just as agents and spies on the popular BBC TV drama assume aliases to work undercover in various jobs to help them thwart terror plots, agents within the Olympic Park in east London are understood to be fulfilling roles, including building contractors and guards. So every brickie and bag-checker might not be who they first seem.

Spy ring: The likes of TV's Spooks have got the Olympic stadium covered

Jonathan Evans, director general of the Security Service (MI5), said in a speech in September 'the eyes of the world' were the Games build-up and 'we have to assume those eyes will include some malign ones ... we should not underestimate the challenge of mounting the Games securely in an environment with a high terrorist threat, the first time this has been attempted'.

One Olympic security assessment highlights the 'chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear' threat from terrorists. 'There are 10,000 people working there and all precautions need to be taken,' said a source.

A more visible deterrent are 500 security personnel on duty at any one time, 150 of them former Gurkhas, many guarding the 12ft tall, 17km electrified perimeter fence. 'It's the most secure building site in the world,' said another Olympic source.

Sir Alex Ferguson today surpasses Sir Matt Busby's record 8,810-day reign at Manchester United, according to official club calculations.

But Sir Matt might be surprised at the maths as Sir Alex actually passed his illustrious predecessor's real time in charge 10 weeks ago, I can reveal.

By United reckoning, Sir Matt's first spell ran from October 22, 1945, to May 31, 1969. The first date is correct, but the second is wrong by 14 days. The last day of that spell was the date of a 3-2 win over Leicester - May 17, 1969.

United say Sir Matt's second spell ran from December 28, 1970, (correct) to June 30, 1971, but that is also too long, by 56 days.

Sir Matt himself believed a 4-3 derby win at City on May 5, 1971, marked a fitting end. United over-counted by 70 days to come up with a 'justifiable' milestone.

Butt's ice-cream claim is melting

Salman Butt, Pakistan's suspended cricket captain, claims some of the £29,000 cash found in his hotel room amid spot-fixing allegations at the Lord's Test was from opening an ice-cream parlour in Tooting Bec, south London.

But a visit to the parlour highlights major anomalies in his tale, including the fact his 'star' appearance there never happened.

Butt was suspended after reports that an alleged fixer, his Croydon-based agent Mazhar Majeed, accepted £150,000 in return for arranging three no-balls in the Test, bowled by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif - also now suspended - in a match when Butt was Pakistan's captain.

Three further players - understood to be Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal and Danish Kaneria - are also being probed by Pakistan for alleged fixing in the past.

Butt says the cash in his room came from daily expenses (£11,000 in total), captain's extras (£4,500), the opening of the Afters parlour in Tooting (£2,500) and from bat sponsorship (the balance).

Notes linked by dye markings to the cash Majeed accepted for fixing the no balls were paid by Majeed for opening the parlour, he says.

But Afters' manager, Naveed Mustaghpar, 35, tells me he paid Majeed, a friend for almost 20 years and a former director at the parlour, £5,000 in cash for the Pakistan team's attendance at the opening evening on Sunday, August 29.

'But we cancelled after the spot-fix story broke on the Saturday night,' he adds. 'I was shocked at the allegations. I haven't asked for the money back, yet.'

Bookies report red-card fears

At least four bookies have reported suspicious betting activity to the Gambling Commission over the controversial red card in a Scottish Premier League match.

Flashpoint: Motherwell's Steve Jennings is sent off by referee Stevie O'Reilly

Motherwell midfielder Steve Jennings, from Liverpool, denies any involvement in improper gambling after being sent off for dissent in Tuesday's 2-1 home loss to Hearts.

Gamblers in Liverpool were among those who placed or attempted to place bets of up to three figures at odds of up to 10-1 on a player being sent off.

In one case, a new online account was opened by a Liverpool-based punter on Tuesday. Within minutes he placed a £100 bet on a Motherwell player being sent off.

He tried another £100 bet soon after, which was declined because of anti-fraud software, but managed a second bet later.

That person's details and other evidence have already been passed to the Commission.